​​​PORT of HOUSTON – The Houston petrochemical company LyondellBasell said it will move forward with a $2.4 billion plant near the Houston Ship Channel that would become the largest factory of its kind in the world.

The project would create about 2,500 construction jobs and 160 permanent positions.

The new plant will make propylene oxide, which is used to make bedding, carpeting, coatings, building materials and adhesives, and the by-product tertiary butyl alcohol, which is refined into an additive that makes fuels burn cleaner.